i24

A few years back, my wife and I attended a wedding in George on Saturday evening. We made our apologies and left at about 21h00, drove through the night, got about 3 hours sleep. Then we got up and rode the Cycle Tour. We don't go very fast and so we don't have to start too early. It took us longer than usual, but we had a fun weekend all round.

If the bike is complete and licenced and if you are comfortable with spanners. Then it might be an option. But you have got to decide if your priority is transport or if you want a project. (I would be tempted, but I already have project).

Have a look at some of their BM's before you commit to a Harley. You might get some ideas about what you like. That Harley does not have much more power than my 39 year Motor Guzzi V50 and it is about 50kg heavier - but it will be more comfortable 2 up. It all depends on your interpretation of "x-factor".

Has anybody used Allan Edwards Motors in Claremont? I need to get my car serviced. The place I have been using over the last few years has had some management changes and I have lost confidence in them. Allan Edwards is conveniently close to my office so they might be worth trying.

Catholic Church actually. Some of the other lessons included family planning (without using contraceptives) and the sin of fornication before you are married. However they conceded that everybody's has a free choice. My wife suggested, and I agreed, that we should apply our own "interpretation" to these suggestions. But other lessons were more interesting. Like stand and face your partner with your hand behind your back. On the count of three show your hand, holding up one finger for each child you would like to have. We were given about 15 seconds warning for that one, so no time for 2nd guessing.

My wife and I went to an "engagement encounter" weekend, organized by the church, before we got married. One of the "rules" they taught us was you can argue as much as you like, just both parties must take off all of their clothes first! That weekend was an interesting experience. There were about 15 couples there and we suspect that quite a few never got as far as their weddings. We survived the weekend and we are still married 25 years later.

Now down to the boring details. I need to replace this exhaust equalizer pipe. It goes between the exhausts under the motor. It is just a simple chromed steel pipe with a slit and a radial clamping bolt on each end. The bolts could easily be replaced by loose clamps. It is not visible so aesthetics is not a major concern. There is a big crack under the bandage. The bandage held just long enough for me to hear the leaks in the rest of the pipes, which are not too bad. Any suggestions where I can get a new one made up in Cape Town?

Time to come out of the closet. One of my bikes also has a motor. I have owned this Motor Guzzi V50 MkII for about 25 years. But life got in the way a while back and it was standing for the last 15 years. Then last year I got inspired to get it running again. The "nikasil" coating in the cylinder bore had coroded and ceased it solid (but one side only). Brakes had ceased and the clutch too. Anyway I got the damaged cylinder reconditioned and recoated and fitted new rings. I could not find replacement pistons, either new or 2nd hand anywhere in Europe or SA, so had to make do with the old ones. I overhauled one brake master cylinder cleaned out the other and the break lines then bled them. I got lucky with the clutch, it came free when I poked a screwdriver through the timing hole. Then I bought a new battery and it is running again after 15 years. The motor runs very sweetly. But the real work is just beginning. It needs work on the exhaust, new tiers, the plastic body parts need some repairs, the center stand needs tlc and then it needs a total respray. But all that will happen in its own time.

Duct tape it and ride?

I went back and got my wife and my numbers after 6PM yesterday. Printing took less time than it took them to fetch the goody bag from behind the counter. Printing problems sorted. The Expo was smaller than I expected but I did not have much time to look before closing anyway. I just checked, our stickers are properly aligned on the sticky paper. I can accept that stuff happens. But the lack of communication yesterday morning was the biggest issue. If someone had explained "the stickers are supposed to print within seconds, we have a problem, the system is broken. We suggest you go and have a look around the Expo then come check back at the counters before you leave to see if we have got the problem fixed" - that could have turned a bad situation into a much better one.

I did not get as far as the displays. But if you do go, I think the supply/demand situation would be in your favour for negotiating deals on specials. That is if the exhibitors have not all packed up and left the building .... This is a serious ####*p

I just got back to the office - without numbers. Waited about an hour and saw 3 riders leave with numbers. There were at least 20 cyclists in the queue in front of me. This is not slow, it is totally broken. They should close the doors of the Expo until such time as it is fixed. There is zero communication from the organizers beyond the SMS that everyone received and was quoted here earlier. No explanation if it is a computer problem, network issue or just a an ink/paper/printer one. STAY AWAY FROM THE EXPO until there is confirmation that the problem has been fixed.

The word "impact driver" has come to refer to different tools. I have a hand tool "impact driver" like this one: https://www.wantitall.co.za/tools/klein-tools-70220-reversible-impact-driver-set__b000936r6e (I can't speak for that website, I just found a picture of the tool on their site with Google). You apply it to a stubborn screw, apply as much torque as you can with one hand, then hit it on the back with a hammer. It hammers the screw, applies a rotational torque and puts a lot of pressure on the screw head all at the same time. It is a very effective tool for stripping motor bike crank cases. The China bike engine seems to use hex nuts on a the crank case side covers, so you can get quite a lot off without fighting with screws.

My son's BigBoy's clutch slip got worse after he topped up with some semi-synthetic oil that he "borrowed" from my garage . Then he drained the oil and replaced it with Castrol GTX (non synthetic) multigrade which improved again. But it still slips and it is getting worse.

My son has a Bigboy 250 that he rides to varsity. After 18000 km It also has some clutch slip and now it has stripped 3rd gear and he is busy taking it to pieces. But exams have interrupted progress. He has done quite a lot of searching on the internet. He managed to find a workshop manual on line for a generic Chinese motor that is quite similar to his. The motor is apparently based on an old Honda 125cc motor and most of the Chinese bikes have very similar motors. He has found shops online that advertise clutch plates and gaskets. Prices are quite cheap. He thinks he should also be able to get gear parts. Piston's, cylinders etc are also available. But he has not reached the stage of ordering stuff yet. Internationally you can order oil coolers, water cooled cylinders and lots of weird aftermarket stuff. Some of the parts on his bike are bit different from the common ones, for styling reasons, and he is battling with things like front brake pads. Identifying and ordering the correct parts is not that easy. I don't know if you will find a local workshop to work on these bikes. Trouble is cost of labor is likely to be high relative to the initial purchase price. A lot of the parts and assembly is very cheap, so day to day maintenance has been quite high with random bits failing, falling off or wearing out prematurely. But the core frame and motor are very solid. If you are mechanically minded, motivated and can manage with alternative transport from time to time, you could go a long way on one of these bikes, but I suspect most people buy them new and stop riding or upgrade before they reach 20000 km.

Reflectors and reflective strips have tiny glass beads embedded into them. When light shines on these beads it gets reflected back in the direction it came from. So if a car headlight shines on your reflectors, the light goes back towards the car and hopefully into the driver's eyes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retroreflector So this would only work if the angle between your seat tube light, the reflective medium and the driver who needs to see you, is close to 180 deg.

I hate to point out the obvious. Those reflectors on entry level pedals are one of the most effective protection you can have at night. Unfortunately many cyclists upgrade their pedals to expensive clip-less or flats which have no reflectors...

I occasionally commute and use Rosmead Ave as part of my route. From Ottery Rd to Imam Haron there are a number of tar shoulders and/or service roads, with a few "busy" bits in between. If you on an MTB you can ride on the gravel pavement the full length of Kenilworth Racecourse, southbound. While northbound you can use the service road for the section opposite the shopping centre. I cut through the section of Wynburg between Rosmead and the railway line, then under the line at the subway at Witteboom. I don't go north of Imam Haron, but Milner Rd between Imam Haron and Ave De Mist is not too busy, then Ave De Mist, Sandown and Campsground have cycle paths of sorts which might help getting onto Liesbeek Parkway. Somewhat longer but maybe less stressful than Main Rd and Palmyra Rd.

I posted pics of it in this thread a while back. https://community.bikehub.co.za/topic/19746-help-needed-finding-out-more-about-hansom/page-5?do=findComment&comment=2717228 In the meantime I have put new 26x1.95 touring tyres which transformed it. Theses are high volume but nearly slick. Low rolling resistance on the tar, but can still handle shoulders, pavements, gravel and some of the tamer parts of the green belt. I have serviced most of the mechanicals but shifting is still a bit "iffy". I want to get that right next - hence the need for 7 speed parts. Then I want some kind of rack to carry my backpack while commuting. Not sure what do do with the bar ends, they only about half the age of the rest of the bike! Otherwise it would be nice to keep her close to original. No plans to repaint or de-rust, well not yet. I have no knowledge of its history. Did Hanson build a range of mountain bikes or was this a frame made to suite the whims of an early MTB'er?

I am looking for spares for my Shimano 200GS 7x3 drive train. Mine still works just, but shifting has become a bit erratic. The circular springs in the shifter and derailleur "B" spring have gone soft. The cams in the shifter are a bit worn and I suspect the derailleur pivots are warn too. So priorities on my shopping list are: 1) 7 speed shifter 2) rear derailler 3) 3 speed Shimano "Pacestar" elliptical chain ring. If anybody has got anything that might fit, a whole drive train, individual items or just bits that can be stripped for spares, please let me know. I will pay fair costs and postage. This is for my "pavement special". A rigid, chrome molly steel Hansen mountainbike from the late 80's/early 90's. I have fitted "Town and Country" touring tyres and I am using it as a commuter/gravel bike. Was due to ride the CTCT fun ride on it too. So keeping the mechanicals turning is a priority. The aesthetics are very original for a > 25 year old steel mountain bike (scratched and rusty!), which hopefully means I won't get bikejacked.

By the time Tokai is fully open and functional, I will probably need and e-bike to get to the top of the mountain. But then I will be able to pass all of you on the way up, and come down the single track very cautiously, sorry if you have have to wait for me... But seriously this all comes down to "Environmental Impact". Bicycles, by their nature, have a finite impact on the environment. They are "eco friendly" and "healthy" so they score good points in political correctness. This is the platform that has been leveraged to get us access to the likes of Tokai and Jonkershoek. If you allow bikes with engines onto the mountain, there will be more of them and they will go further and faster. Net result is a bigger "impact" and a total neutralization of the brownie points. "But they are not motor bikes, you still have to pedal". The current batch of e-bikes weigh in at about 22kg. If you pushed that up to say 30kg you would have to much less pedalling. And even a bright high school student could implement a modification like this. Already we have conflicting standards in Europe and the USA and effectively none at all in South Africa. E-bikes ARE motorbikes! It is just that, for moment, their weight and power are modest enough to not attract too much attention. But it is just a matter of time before the total wattage of all the e-bikes out on the trails over weekends becomes a problem. "But they will allow the old and the injured to access the mountain". Speaking as one who already feels challenged accessing some of the available trails, we have to accept that we can get our thrills on the lower easier slopes. Have a quiet chat to the guys who have had to negotiate with the likes of SANPark for access for MTB's and ask them what the reaction will be when the mountain bosses apply their minds to e-bikes. The industry should take the lead in this and ensure that all e-bikes are painted with yellow and black stripes, or marked with other means of clear means of identification and tagged with their power rating. Then the sporting administrators and cycling interest groups, like Cycling SA, Amarider and Pedal Power Association, should agree on a policy, "E-bikes are banned from mountains and trails until specific permission is obtained from the land owner/manager for each trail. Such permission should clearly specify the terms of access, such as permitted power ratings and concessions for handicapped or elderly riders."

I have one waiting to be thrown out. Battery and charger are toast. Not sure about the motor. Chuck and gearbox look OK. PM me if you are interested.

I did some holiday cycling on a ridged frame commuter out of Witsand a few years ago. I recall weaving around on the Witsand Malgas road trying to find a line between the corrugations and diving for the verge every-time a vehicle appeared. I would love to do this trip, but I would chose a bike with some fork travel and plan for two or three days on the road. I like the Subaru to carry the packs!

How do you cope with the corrugations on the 2ndary gravel roads without any suspension? And did you manage to stay out of the way of the farmers' bakkies that drive at > 100km/h floating around with marginal control due to shot shock absorbers, kicking up clouds of dust while hammering the corrugations a little deeper? Otherwise it looks like lots of fun :-)

I am looking for some 2nd hand wood for an outdoor project. I want to make a work table for potting seedlings and cuttings. This will stand outside, un-painted, with maybe sheet of black plastic to keep off the worst of the rain. I am looking for something like 2nd hand pallet wood, floor board, ceiling strips or roof timber etc. It can be very rough, nails and knots not a problem. But must be solid wood, board or plywood wont last. Just material that is not fit for better purpose but better than braai wood. I can collect in from Cape Town, southern suburbs, up to 2 or 3m lengths and will pay fair price. PM me if you have some wood that you might want to get rid of. Thanks!